1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein pertains to a bearing in combination with a food processor or appliance where lubricating oil would contaminate the food and which arrangement is such that any oil migrating up into the food processor along a driven shaft is captured and returned to the sump housing of the appliance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rotary cutting blade food processors, which operate in the area of 2000 rpm between mixers and blenders, have come into wide use. They generally consist of a power unit in a base, which is direct or belt-connected, to drive a rotatable hub that is mounted on a vertically-oriented drive shaft extending into a removable bowl. Suitable cutting means on the shaft processes the food that is directed into the bowl through a chute. Some appliances use intermediate transmissions that allow the processor to be driven at different speeds for different processing operations. Typical of such devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,210 of common assignment which is directed to a unique transmission/processor arrangement such that the correct speed is automatically selected by the bowl mounted on the processor. Additionally, the use of porous bronze bearings which are impregnated with lubricating oil are well known in many applications. Also the use of spiral grooves on a rotatable shaft wherein oil is collected and then returned to a sump through the grooves is well known. Typical of such devices is the porous bearing in U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,114 and drive shaft spiral grooves of U.S. Pat. No. 2,810,614 with typical collector grooves shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,684. All of these features in separate and distinct applications are well known.
An object of the present invention is to provide, in a food processor where oil from the transmission inherently may leak into the food bowl, a construction that collects migrating oil and returns it to the transmission housing preventing entry to the bowl area.
Another object is to provide such a device wherein the arrangement of parts effectively blocks any entrance of oil to the food being processed.
A still further object is to provide a bearing of the general type disclosed in combination with a food appliance which but may have use in other types of appliances or any place food is being handled.